Palm Bay energy calcs & Manual J.
Brevard's busiest permit office: impact glass, one PDF per slot, and a canal rule.
Palm Bay's one- and two-family checklist asks for a Manual J (or ACCA Manual N, or the ASHRAE load manual), the A/C layout with diffuser sizes, and the complete Florida energy code forms, with the compliance path and code cycle shown on the plans. Everything uploads through iMS. In 2025 it permitted 1,908 new single-family units, the most in Brevard.
- Department
- City of Palm Bay, Building DepartmentiMS + ePermitHub Digital Plan Room1
- Code edition
- FBC Energy Conservation, 8th Ed. (2023)9th Ed. (2026) scheduled for Dec 31, 2026 · what changes2
- Climate zone
- Zone 2A1% cooling 91°F · 99% heating 42°F3
- Price
- $195 · $445 · $595Energy calc from · full package · sealed. Same in all 67 counties · price list
- Ready by
- 2–3 business daysExpedited: within 24 business hours, +$150. Clock starts when complete plans pass intake (3:00 PM ET cutoff) · how it works
- Evidence
- 9 primary sourcesEvery number on this page links to its source · references
What Palm Bay reviewers ask for
The city's One- and Two-Family Dwelling Permit Requirements put the load calculation in one line: a copy of ACCA Manual J, ACCA Manual N, or the ASHRAE Cooling and Heating Load Calculation Manual, Second Edition, with the A/C layout and diffuser sizes and a complete set of State of Florida energy code forms.4 The plans must show which energy compliance path was used and the code cycle the house is designed to.4
The rest of the Palm Bay submittal notes2 more paragraphs
Window and glazed-door U-factor and SHGC go on the plans or on the signed Product Approval Affirmation, keyed to each opening type, and glazed openings must be impact rated or covered by an identified impact system; glazed front doors must be impact rated outright.4 Those U-factor and SHGC values feed the R405, so we read them off the affirmation rather than a default.
Uploads run through iMS, where each 'Requested Files' slot takes one PDF and extras go under 'Additional Uploads'; since March 3, 2025, review has run through the ePermitHub Digital Plan Room.41 Lots on the Melbourne-Tillman canal system need a water-control district permit before the city will issue anything that involves temporary access to the canal right-of-way.1
Building departments
1 department · addresses, phones, portals
Palm Bay permits everything inside its limits; unincorporated Brevard goes to the county office in Viera, covered on our Brevard County page. Its 1,908 one-unit permits in 2025 were more than half of Brevard's 3,376, and fourth among Florida cities outside consolidated Jacksonville.67
| Department | Address | Phone | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Palm Bay, Building Department | 110 Malabar Rd. SE, Palm Bay, FL 32907 | 321-953-8924 | iMS + ePermitHub Digital Plan Room1 |
Design conditions
91°F cooling · 42°F heating · zone 2A · weather stations
Cooling station: Melbourne Regional Airport (Manual J). Heating station: NASA Shuttle Facility (Manual J).3
Palm Bay takes Brevard County's limits: 91°F cooling from Melbourne Regional Airport and 42°F heating from the NASA Shuttle Facility.3 Zone 2A.2 The design table works by county, so a house in the city's southwest and one near the Indian River Lagoon share the same values.
Worked example
1,900 sq ft house → 25,480 Btu/h, 2.12 tons · illustrative
Illustrative · not a Manual J
A 1,900 sq ft three-bedroom block house, close to the city's 5.7-room median.8 Impact-rated windows are assumed per the city's checklist; the U-factor and SHGC we used are typical values, not ones read from a real product approval.
| House | new single-storey block home, southwest Palm Bay |
|---|---|
| Conditioned area | 1,900 sq ft, 1 storey, 9.33 ft ceilings |
| Bedrooms / occupants | 3 / 4 |
| Glazing | 14% of floor area (266 sq ft), U 0.32, SHGC 0.25 |
| Walls / ceiling | R-7.8 walls, R-38 ceiling under a vented attic |
| Air leakage | 5 ACH50 |
| Ducts | in the attic, 8% gain allowance |
| Ventilation | mechanical, per FBC formula |
| Outdoor design | 91°F cooling / 42°F heating (sourced above) |
| Indoor design | 75°F cooling / 70°F heating |
| Design grains difference | 45 gr/lb (assumption) |
Illustrative only. A simplified block-load estimate with the inputs shown, not an ACCA Manual J, and not for permitting. A real calc goes room by room with your plans, orientation and equipment data. Code ceiling for single-stage cooling at 1.15× total load: 29,300 Btu/h.9
Local housing
Median year built 1993 · 83.5% single-family detached · Census ACS
Palm Bay is 83.5% single-family detached, with a 1993 median year built and 39.3% of units from 2000 on.8 The median home has 5.7 rooms, owner occupancy is 79.7%, and 93.6% of occupied homes heat with electricity.8
Utility rebates
FPL
- FPL. FPL customers replacing a whole central system with 15.2 SEER2 or higher equipment, installed by a participating contractor, get a $200 instant credit on the invoice; ductless mini-splits are excluded.5
Utility programs change often; check the program page before you count on a rebate.
Palm Bay questions
3 answers · Does Palm Bay accept a load calculation other than Manual J?
Does Palm Bay accept a load calculation other than Manual J?
Its checklist allows ACCA Manual J, ACCA Manual N, or the ASHRAE Cooling and Heating Load Calculation Manual, Second Edition, together with the A/C layout and diffuser sizes. For a house, Manual J is the normal choice, since Manual N is ACCA's commercial procedure. The energy code forms must be complete either way.
How do I upload plans and energy calcs in Palm Bay's iMS portal?
Register on iMS, apply online and upload to the permit. Each 'Requested Files' slot accepts only one PDF, so place extra documents under 'Additional Uploads'. Plans must be digitally signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer, and other city departments must approve before the permit issues.
What does Palm Bay need before a certificate of occupancy?
Its residential CO list includes driveway approval from Public Works, a Brevard County impact fee receipt, septic and well approval where applicable, water, sewer and trash receipts, any private provider compliance packet, every checklist item submitted, and no outstanding balance. Documents go through the iMS portal.
Price
One statewide price in all 67 counties. Building departments decide what they accept; we don’t guarantee approval. Revisions for plan-review comments on the same design are free.
Nearby and related
Sources
9 primary references · numbered to match the citations
- 01City of Palm Bay, Building Permits & Inspectionspalmbayfl.gov
- 022023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation (8th Ed.), Table R301.1, climate zones by countyup.codes
- 03RESNET / ENERGY STAR, Appendix A: HVAC Design Temperature Limits by State and County (v4, 2019). 1% cooling and 99% heating values drawn from the ASHRAE 2013 Handbook of Fundamentals and ACCA Manual J 8th Ed.resnet.us
- 04City of Palm Bay Building Department, One- and Two-Family Dwelling Permit Requirements (PDF)palmbayfl.gov
- 05FPL, Ways to Save: A/C Rebatefpl.com
- 06U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual place data, South Region (1-unit housing units by permit-issuing place)www2.census.gov
- 07U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual county data (new privately-owned 1-unit housing units)www2.census.gov
- 08U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Palm Bay (B25018, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25040), via Census Reportercensusreporter.org
- 09Florida Building Commission, R405-2026 documentation checklist example (quotes R403.7.1.1 cooling equipment sizing limits)floridabuilding.org